Illinois: Chicago Mayor Proposes Statewide Handgun Registry

Friday, February 10, 2012

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Contact your state Legislators TODAY and urge them to oppose this blatant attack on your gun rights!

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) is trying to advance the anti-gun legacy of the man he replaced, former Mayor Richard Daley (D), by proposing a statewide handgun registry. Daley was well-known as an anti-gun zealot who promoted draconian gun control policies on a regular basis for two decades as Chicago’s Mayor. Emanuel is no stranger to anti-gun policies, of course. He served in the anti-gun administration of President Bill Clinton (D), followed by several years in Congress where he consistently earned an F-rating from the NRA-PVF. Before being elected Mayor of Chicago, he was Chief of Staff to anti-gun President Barrack Obama (D).

Emanuel’s registration scheme would cost law-abiding gun owners $65, presumably for each handgun, which would add yet another superfluous bureaucratic fee a law-abiding citizen must pay before they are allowed to exercise their Right to Keep and Bear Arms. Illinois residents must already acquire a Firearm Owners Identification (FOID) card before they may lawfully own ANY firearm, and nobody may lawfully acquire a new firearm in Illinois without first showing a valid FOID card.

While this proposal has yet to be finalized and introduced in Springfield, the NRA will strongly oppose any effort to impose a firearms registration scheme. When asked about this proposal, pro-gun state Representative Brandon Phelps (D-118) told the Chicago Tribune, “Number one, my first response was, ‘I don’t know why you’re trying to do this statewide because we don’t want your policies on us downstate.’” Phelps, who represents a southern Illinois district, went on to say, “Number two, it’s never going to work. They’re trying to go after criminals. They’re never going to register their guns. They won’t pay the fee.” The NRA agrees with Representative Phelps, especially when he refers to the proposal as a “slap in the face of every law-abiding gun owner.” Please take a moment to contact your state Representative and Senator to tell them to reject any firearms registration scheme proposed by Rahm Emanuel!

Contact information for your state Senator can be found by clicking here and state Representative contact information can be found here.

In addition, please continue to voice your objections to House Bills 1294, 1599 and 1855, which the NRA previously reported on here. These anti-gun bills could be considered at any time.

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Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the "lobbying" arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.